One of my best friends, Kathleen, is rounding up her Summer holiday, not vacation mind you. British that she is, vacation sounds too American, she says. The point is to make the term easily understandable to everyone she knows. An expat peculiarity, I'm sure. Anyway, she has been to the UK for three weeks, Cyprus for two and is now in Holland for one! With no husband or children waiting at home, she is free to roam the world during her Summer break (about six weeks) from her school librarian job. She'll get back with only hours to spare before school starts! She is by far not the only one doing this.
Now, how is it possible to achieve all this in these hard times? It works this way: this time of the year, with school out, a lot of islanders just go on holiday. Sort of a given thing when you are an expat: you visit your home country, your children living abroad, friends that have gone back to their countries or just take a trip to avoid island fever. It is just something you plan and, in a way, expect to do I guess. Everyone that can, will travel.
Can hear rumblings again! These are really spoiled people! Not at all, because some cannot do it every year and save for this purpose. Let me try to expalin. Since prehistoric times, people from the Caribbean have moved from island to island, from the mainland of South and Central America to the islands and viceversa. So, it's no wonder this comes naturally to islanders : traveling within the Caribbean is a given. Nowadays, there are daily flights from every island to every other island, how else can one get by in this vast watery world?
Then, traveling between Curaçao and Holland is easy and one can get great deals. After all, most everyone has family or friends there. Chidren go to study there, marry, get jobs. Traveling to Miami is easy, and again, deals pop up frequently. Some come to the States to study, get marry, find jobs. What is everyone else to do, but visit?
If you just happen to live in Curaçao because of your job, married a local or simply love it and retire there...... you need to travel! As with everything you do and enjoy, the more you do it the more you'd love it. Traveling becomes an important part of your life. So before the Summer holiday season is over, I plan to visit my children. Later on, I will go see my bridge friends when they get together for a weekend in Vermont when the New England landscape turns a glorious riot of rust, red, yellow and orange. Other reasons to travel : a change in the air, crisp and cool days, soft rain and endless shopping! There is a reason to travel, every season of the year!
Now, how is it possible to achieve all this in these hard times? It works this way: this time of the year, with school out, a lot of islanders just go on holiday. Sort of a given thing when you are an expat: you visit your home country, your children living abroad, friends that have gone back to their countries or just take a trip to avoid island fever. It is just something you plan and, in a way, expect to do I guess. Everyone that can, will travel.
Can hear rumblings again! These are really spoiled people! Not at all, because some cannot do it every year and save for this purpose. Let me try to expalin. Since prehistoric times, people from the Caribbean have moved from island to island, from the mainland of South and Central America to the islands and viceversa. So, it's no wonder this comes naturally to islanders : traveling within the Caribbean is a given. Nowadays, there are daily flights from every island to every other island, how else can one get by in this vast watery world?
Then, traveling between Curaçao and Holland is easy and one can get great deals. After all, most everyone has family or friends there. Chidren go to study there, marry, get jobs. Traveling to Miami is easy, and again, deals pop up frequently. Some come to the States to study, get marry, find jobs. What is everyone else to do, but visit?
If you just happen to live in Curaçao because of your job, married a local or simply love it and retire there...... you need to travel! As with everything you do and enjoy, the more you do it the more you'd love it. Traveling becomes an important part of your life. So before the Summer holiday season is over, I plan to visit my children. Later on, I will go see my bridge friends when they get together for a weekend in Vermont when the New England landscape turns a glorious riot of rust, red, yellow and orange. Other reasons to travel : a change in the air, crisp and cool days, soft rain and endless shopping! There is a reason to travel, every season of the year!
No comments:
Post a Comment