Island Med Student

Yesterday, as I walked from the grocery store to my apartment, I had an epiphany. Dominica is my home. It’s where I feel I belong. When I visit the States, I feel like an outsider looking in. When I’m in Dominica, I feel whole and happy. Once you get past some of the annoyances in the beginning, you soon realize that this is an amazing place to call home. The weather here is absolutely amazing. It’s warm all year round. The beach is never too far away. Gorgeous mountain ranges surround you. And then there is what I realized yesterday that I love the most about Dominica. There are no McDonalds, Targets, or Starbucks. When you run out of propane (like I did yesterday), you might have to do without it for a few days, because all the stores are all out. When you find out that the store is selling cottage cheese, you immediately jump for joy and buy several packages of it, because you might never see it again. You learn to appreciate the little things. You are bombarded by less marketing aimed at getting you to buy tons of things that you don’t actually need. There is a level of depravity. I could go on, but I think you get the point. I really, really do love my home. Now, just ask me if I feel the same way in three months when I’m jonesing for some sushi. I think I’ll still love it here.

Note: The pic has nothing to do with the post. It was taken a few weeks ago in the States. I just thought it was a sweet pic.