Could you really live the island dream?

"Oh, I could live the rest of my life here!!"

Could you?

I don't think I could.

I think for 99% of folks this is a rhetorical comment.

I did try. It ain't paradise, just the same as any other place but with better weather!

I did for 4 years. I still have moments of intense yearning- and might still retire there. Get some land (my son is a citizen- he can buy it for us) and spend at least most of our time there. I remember sitting on the steps of "the resort" and thinking just exactly that. A year later I was hunting for housing.
but as Raro says, it ain't paradise. There is a great book on "my" island (Palau) called Edge of Paradise. Very very real.

Raro- what drove you away? For me it was the politics both on island and in the states.

Six wonderful, great, neat years in American Samoa. Been back many many times, going back in '08 and '09.
We never let the local politics bother us.

It was a part of my job- I couldn't ignore it. But nice to hear of other of us semi-islanders.

Oh man, I get so bored at times here in American Samoa. And frustrated. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin, West Africa and find it ironic that American Samoa hasn't progressed much further than Benin in many respects (education, pollution, corruption), despite the level of support it receives. Then again, people are driving around in brand new SUVs, taking trips to Hawaii and eating too much McDonald's. Weird. Time to move on for me.
Paradise has to exist somewhere, though...doesn't it??!

Politics, greedy locals, racist locals, inept and racist bureaucrats, church-is-right on everything, and if you disagree you must be hired by Satan, many workers who were unreliable, as well as thieves, and in general a lack of education so they were a nation of sheep, following idiotic politicians for the sole purpose of self-gain (so, I guess not so stupid!), etc etc. Same as the US, but it's all in a small town environment, so you run into sleazebags all the time. Again, I'd say half the people were great, friendly, honest, caring, but the other half was so bad I didn't like living there. Higher percentage of nice people in the area I am now in, and of course, there is baseball and football instead of cricket and soccer!

I may write a book entitled: "The South Pacific: It's a Great Place to Visit, But I Wouldn't Want to Live There!" Peobably wake up a few utopians as to what "paradise" can really be like.

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<hr>American Samoa hasn't progressed much further than Benin in many respects (education, pollution, corruption), despite the level of support it receives.<hr></blockquote>

In this case it is not "despite" - it is because ...

It seems like most people are feeling the same way as me. Actually, I think any small place just gets to you after awhile. With all of us on this site having a traveling bug, it is only natural to feel a bit closed in after a while. I lived in Samoa for 9 years total. Still visit every few years and plan on semi- retiring there. Will still semi-live here in Hawaii too. I think living on a small island only works if you can get off at least once a year. The shopping for one thing, but just to see something different. Politics....mmmmm....the best thing is to not get too involved....be a good citizen in your own way. Apia, as a town, gets worse over the years. Too many tall buildings, cars and people. Out in the countryside is really the Samoa I love. Just walking through a plantation is a peak experience. The only place in Apia that I really like is the agriculture market place. And one thing for McDs there....it is a nice place to sit and cool off and they have a clean public toilet. Aloha

Well living on Kauai sort of counts. it has become too civilized in the last 20 years, but on the other hand its nice to have some of the conveniences, but not the traffic! Politicians are corrupt, not as blatant as when I read the CI news. I believe our mayor initially got elected because he gave a little plant to each household. I know many people who voted for him for that reason! He's smart. I'm always thinking of moving somewhere more remote, but realize I really have it pretty good here. So I visit the Cook Islands and enjoy it and mourn for what Kauai has lost. then come home to Borders, Starbucks and Costco(opened this year!) excellent health care....and am glad to be home.

It's one thing to be on vacation somewhere, and quite a different story to live there (you hear the same thing from tourists in Greece). And you probably need to have a certain kind of mind-set to enjoy life on an island. For most people it probably is just a rhetorical comment, a way of saying how much fun they're having on their vacation.

From what I observed of Fijians living in paradise, unless the foreigner imports all the conveniences from back home, it won't be paradise for too long.

All in all -- and I've lived in several countries (with various climates etc) -- daily life can still be the usual grind. The bottom line is how you make the best (or get the best) out of what the location offers.

My guests always say: "what a nice life you have!" If they could only lift he curtains!

Coffee: I have always been a coffee drinker - now I'm use to drink nescafe or coffina - but I refuse to drink the Fijian coffee which is thinner than tea and ususally your tongue sticks at the roof of your mouth, because of all the sugar in it.
Meals: you don't plan a meal and go shopping - you go shopping, see what you can get and then plan your meal.
Politics: don't open your mouth too much, just a little and try with a lot of diplomacy to change a bit on a local (community) basis.
Locals: with most I'm having a happy and good relation; still there are the few who try to "out-smart" me - be aware and be smarter.
Racist locals: actually I have found the so-called half-cast more racist then the "poor-blood" Fijian. Interesting is - they like to change idendities - if it's better for them to be Fijian, they count themselves as one of them, otherwise they are proud of their European ancestors.
Bureaucracy: terrible, but I always remind myself that I had similar experiences in Europe, America and Australia.
Churches: ouch.. this is a sensitive area - I'm trying to give at least my staff a bit of a different point of view by giving them the opportunity to do research on the net - but exploded when my ladies (not the MEN!) were asked to donate money to the payment for the new (4wheeld) car for the Methodist Church talatala (chief of local Methodist church). Meanwhile I seemed to have proofed that I'm not a follower of satan - even not being a member of any denomination. I'm just there if anyone of my stuff needs me - and word spreads around.
Thieves: yes, unfortunately we have them, too. But they are around all over the world, aren't they?

I could probably write the story of my lifetime about this topic, basically - it is NOT paradise, I'm working like an idiot to make the living, but I would not like to live somewhere else! There are a lot of reasons why I love living here in this small community!

So if guests say, that I'm living in paradise I answer: "Oh yes, eh?"

:-) ah, the memories

coffee: now that you mention it, I recall always hunting around for, and very happy when I found, a cafe/restaurant in Fiji that sold their coffee double-strength of what was 'normal'.

Locals: a major problem for expat living is learning how to think and work in the new cultural context. And this includes being tricky and clever. Daily life (which in the west is now highly institutionalized with consumer protection agencies etc etc) is still a fight for advantage in many parts of the world.

Bureaucracy: I have in some instances found it easier in non-western countries, as long as you work within the system. In Europe I might have to pay lawyer's fees to deal with a trivial institutionalized detail. The process to appeal a dumb and arbitrary bureaucratic decision can take weeks of arguing to settle the matter through 'proper' channels.

In another country (not to name names), a much smaller donation to a private pension fund puts you on the express service track...just part of the economic system. You end up lining someone's pocket. Might as well choose the pocket to be lined, and negotiate the price ;-)

We solved the coffee problem- I had 20 pounds of coffee shipped down to Palau from the states every few months. Froze it. And each and every friend who came to visit was required to bring one suitcase packed with it. The joys of the internet. And even if we had to use fed ex it was worth every $20 dollar bill that it cost!

islandboi pictures Waldos in a hammock on the beach... A big steaming mug of Folger's in hand

I was luckier with the coffee, all the loyal TT'ers brought down coffee! (and cigars, and Heinz ketchup!)
Thanks again to all of you!

Now that I live in Hawaii I can get my coffee at Costco....but........I am asking everybody coming up from Samoa to bring me Fiji raw sugar to go with it. Aloha

Is "Fiji raw sugar" a code name for some nefarious illegal drug??? :)

Please- I had a grinder and we had Zabar's. Starbucks, and Whole Food WHOLE bean shipped down. Freezes quite nicely. And it was wonderful. Not only was Folger's and Maxwell house the only game in town in Micronesia, it was usually so stale that....well, nevermind. So please islandboi- revise the image. It was also usually iced after first thing in the morning. When it wasn't replaced with a Kalua Colada or a beer.

Sorry... Was just trying to be funny. Sorry to offend.

revises image

islandboi---I seriously doubt 5waldos would get offended! But you're Canadian, you might not realize how Folgers etc are considered here in the US vs "REAL" coffee!!!

A few yrs ago a US guest to my Shangri-La in the Cooks left a 5 lb plastic jug of Folger's---unopened---when they left Shangri-La. They told me they had had brought two of these on their trip to NZ, thinking that NZ'ers only drank tea. They discovered a few of the new Starbucks there after a week or so, and still had one jug left when they were heading back to the US through the Cooks.

Anyway, I took the jug of Folgers (ground coffee, not instant) and kept it for an "emergency" in case I ran out of Starbucks, Peets, Fog City coffee, and whatever else TT'ers brought down, or I got from NZ.

I am happy to say that it sat in my kitchen cupboard for almost two years, until I sold Shangri-La earlier this year. I gave it to my local friends when I left the island. To them it was "American coffee!!!", which technically was true. But to me, it was only for emergency use!

Waldos may have been offended, but I think it was more in jest when you mentioned the Folgers! It's like saying "Thunderbird" is a good white wine to accompany chicken!

As mentioned on another post by someone who has been reading a lot but not posting much, this PI branch seems to be pretty mellow and helpful, and our egos are not as sensitive as on other branches. I went on a few other branches once. The destination ones were not too bad, but stilll some rotten eggs. But the general ones---long haul, gap year, etc---well, it felt like I was in a shooting gallery after every post!!! It also felt like it was inhabited by early 20's somethings, based on their lack of experience with anything to do with either travel or life in general.

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So, I think we should all be glad this branch has evolved into a friendly place, and continues to pretty much stay that way, in large part because of islandboi, 5waldos, silvano, oldpro, and all the others too numerous to mention.

LOL

Yes, this is a super branch... hanging out at some of the other branches can get tiresome sometimes and it's not for folks who have thin skin.

I know Folger's is not the best... Now Tim Horton's coffee on the other hand...

Not offended in the least islandboi- just teasing also. No thin skin here. And I know you well enough to know that you were in no way trying to be offensive.

On the other hand= FOLGERS!!! Well- the nerve of you!!!

If I get offended I tend to hide in a corner sulking.

And I love the story Raro- we had a tin of something that was kept for emergencies. We also were delighted to have it to dump when we left.